Bill's Excellent Adventure

The Stout Scarab: visionary Art Deco minivan?

Feature Article from Hemmings Motor News

William Bushnell "Bill" Stout, born in 1880 in Quincy, Illinois, was a youngster fascinated by the emerging science and awesome wonder of the airplane.
He went on to engineer motorcycles and cyclecars, automobiles, buses, railcars and airplanes, but his defining talent was as a master of fund-raising, self-promotion direct mail.
Rich Taylor revealed in Special Interest Autos, number 32 that Stout "...wrote the 100 most prosperous men in Detroit a personal letter. 'Give me just $1,000--no more, no less--and I promise you'll lose your shirt. But you'll get your money's worth in fun.' Intrigued, such local luminaries as Henry and Edsel Ford subscribed, along with many other[s]...."
Through Stout's bravado, he met and partnered with Ford to eventually produce the Ford Tri-Motor aircraft, a nifty bit of engineering and income-generating success for all involved.
After amicably parting ways with Ford, Stout returned to designing an automobile, one that incorporated much of what he had learned while engineering aircraft. Christened the Scarab, the 1932 concept car incorporated numerous FoMoCo components. In 1934, the Stout Motor Car Company of Dearborn, Michigan, was formed to produce the car.
By 1935, a second, somewhat revised Scarab was built and this "A challenge and a prophecy" ad graced the pages of Fortune magazine, wherein Stout espoused his theory of automotive design. He challenged the "necessary conservatism" of mass production and standardization with the "obvious 'rightness' of the Scarab design." Stout's prophecy was pretty much on the money, though his three-year time line was not.
The ad reveals the Scarab's state-of-the-art engineering: "Engine in the rear • Unit body--no chassis • Inside floor area--7' 6" x 5' 7" • Running board and hood space usable inside body • Loose chairs, adjustable to all positions • Rear davenport seat convertible to full-length couch • Card and dining table • New, full-vision driver's position • Thermostatically controlled heat • Forced, draftless ventilation, with rain, dust and insect filter • Fully insulated against sound and temperature • Smooth body lines minimizing wind noises • Concealed, recessed rear window • Grill-enclosed headlights • Electric door locks--no projecting handles • Flush-type hinges • Exceptionally long wheelbase for overall length (no overhang) • Minimum unsprung weight • Soft, individual springing of all wheels • Less weight on front axle--for easier steering • Maximum brakes at rear--not front--for safe, rapid deceleration • Slanted windows, no reflections."
The bad news came at the end: "Production for 1936 will be limited to 100 cars • Priced from five thousand dollars, f.o.b. Dearborn, Michigan. Demonstration upon invitation only."
Around this time, Stout criss-crossed the country, cruising 89,000 miles in his second-generation Scarab as president of the Society of Automotive Engineers. Back at the factory, only one or two additional cars were built; remaining records are unclear.
The company foundered, and Stout went on with other efforts at perfecting a flying car--with predictable results. A last-ditch effort in 1945 to produce yet another Scarab variant in conjunction with Kaiser-Frazer and Owens/Corning Fiberglass produced one unit, which Stout used regularly until 1951.
Bill Stout then retired to Arizona, where his keen observation of insects convinced him that aircraft with flapping wings--ornith-opters--were the logical replacement for less-efficient, fixed-wing designs. Bill passed away in 1956 before perfecting his theories.
For more on Stout's excellent engineering adventures and his Art Deco minivan progenitor, grab back issues of Special Interest Autos, numbers 32 and 123.

This article originally appeared in the February, 2010 issue of Hemmings Motor News.